For the past 61 years, Barbie has been inspiring children everywhere. We all know Barbie the brand for its dolls, movies, and other various products, but have you heard about her vlogs?
Barbie vlogs are a series of videos within the Barbie brand Youtube Channel. The series started back in 2015 and has since created 137 videos with new content being released every other Friday. Every video ends with a peace sign and her signature phrase of PACE: Positive Attitude Changes Everything. She usually covers topics similar to any other human vlogger, like makeup tutorials, trending challenges and DIYs. However, lately, she has constructed videos with a more serious tone covering important topics.
Barbie’s target audience mainly ranges from ages six to eleven--a very impressionable age. Therefore, Barbie uses its global platform to provide an environment that is genuine and safe for kids to learn about necessary topics like racism and mental health.
Earlier this month, in just under three minutes, Barbie and her friend Nikki break down racism and white supremacy in a vlog titled, "Barbie and Nikki Discuss Racism." If one hasn’t watched it yet, I highly encourage viewers to explore Barbie’s surprisingly extensive videos. Nikki recounts stories of when she experienced racism, and her examples are everyday occurrences easy for kids to understand. They talk about why people are protesting, and they explain white privilege. To quote one part of the video, Nikki says, "People did these things because I was Black, and they made the wrong assumptions about me." To which Barbie responds, "And they don't make those assumptions about white people, like me. That's not fair because that means that white people get an advantage that they didn't earn, and Black people get a disadvantage that they don't deserve."
Nikki then emphasizes the importance of learning Black history and listening to others' stories in support. This is a great video to help start the conversation between parents and kids about the Black Lives Matter movement that has swept the nation.
It is essential to help kids as they grow to understand their feelings and validate them. "How Are You Feeling? Sharing My Honest Thoughts," is a vlog everyone should listen to when they are feeling down regardless of their age. Barbie teaches it is okay to feel unpleasant emotions like anger or sadness. She shares the important message that we cannot control everything and cannot be perfect all the time. We all have good and bad days, and that is okay.
In "My Meditation Routine with Headspace!" Barbie expresses that she has had a busy day and frankly feels overwhelmed. So, she encourages viewers to join her in a guided meditation using the app "Headspace." Barbie teaches kids a healthy way to handle day to day stress.
"How to Forgive Someone" focuses on times when it is hard to forgive people. Barbie affirms that this can be a challenge and uses metta meditation, also known as loving-kindness meditation, to learn to forgive.
In light of International Women's Day last year, Barbie posted "Finding Your Voice." Barbie talks about what it is like to not be heard and ignored in a group setting. She highlights how crucial it is for women to support and remind each other they are not alone. She reminds the viewer that the day to day challenges are just as important as big ones, and small things cannot defeat us women. We must make each other feel heard and learn how to find our voice.
These vlogs are empowering, honest and most importantly, real, which is incredibly important when talking about tough subjects. Although Barbie is animated, her facial expressions come across as authentic and the whole video carries a conversational tone and relatable vibe. The Barbie franchise should be applauded for using its global platform to teach and empower children and young girls everywhere.
